


Where You Lead

by MyFirstAndLastVow09



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gilmore Girls Setting, F/M, Gen, Good Malfoys, M/M, More tags to be added as story progresses, Not Epilogue Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-11-18 17:45:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11295609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyFirstAndLastVow09/pseuds/MyFirstAndLastVow09
Summary: Draco Malfoy, at the age of 16, had an illicit affair with Astoria Greengrass while still attending Hogwarts. Astoria ended up becoming pregnant with Scorpius, but left soon after he was born with her parents while the war broke out for France. Draoco finished his education through Owl Post after the war was over. Not wanting to become the perfect Malfoy heir his parents dreamed him to be, he leaves with Scorpius and settles into a new life on his own in Hogsmeade. From there, the story begins...Gilmore Girls AU, with all of our favorite people from HP. More characters to be added once the story gets going.Draco - LorelaiScorpius - RoryHarry - LukeBlaise - MichelPansy - SookieRon - JacksonAstoria - ChristopherLucius - Richard GilmoreNarcissa - Emily Gilmore





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This idea would not leave me alone. It came at me like a tidal wave, and I had to write it. Took me a while to decide whether or not I was going to post it, but here goes nothing. Let me know if you liked it or not! 
> 
> As always, I do not own anything. Just here for fun.

Prologue

“What in the bloody hell happened? You got separated from us and then—“Arthur Weasley was ushering a blonde woman, with her husband, who was barely conscious through the doorway of Grimmauld Place. His heart sank into his stomach and his skin paled. 

“He got hit with an Ungforgivable, plus a string of others! Help me get him inside!” Narcissa Malfoy was covered in patches of blood, some her own and some not, and half dragging Lucius, her husband, further through the house. She felt him shaking and kept the fearful tears at bay for the time being. She needed to be strong for her family. 

“Dra-co…Scor—pius. Where--?” Lucius tried to say, but he felt like a weight was sitting on his chest, and he couldn’t breathe properly. God damn those Death Eaters…he thought bitterly. Savages, the lot of them. 

“Hush, darling. They are right behind us,” Narcissa soothed him. “Draco!” 

“Right here.” Draco drawled, carrying his infant son wrapped tightly in a soft, cashmere blanket. Scorpius was wailing uncontrollably, no doubt a reaction to being held so tightly by his father. “Shh, Scorp. It’s alright. Everything is alright.” 

“What’s going on?” Came a voice over everyone else. Harry Potter stood in front of them, watching Narcissa carry Lucius though to the living room. “Oh, Merlin…Molly! Molly!” He called for the Weasley matriarch. Footsteps came from all over the house then, as Narcissa gently sat Lucius down on the closest seat she could find. She began removing his outer layer of clothing, to assess the damage that had been done. 

“Oh my goodness! Ronald. I need hot towels, and extra water. Hermione, I need my bag. Hurry!” Molly Weasley quickly rolled up her sleeves, and drew her wand. She ran every diagnostic spell she knew of, trying to see how badly Lucius was hurt. “Narcissa, what in the world?” she asked, as Ron and Hermione brought the supplies in. She pulled Essence of Dittany out of her bag and began applying it to the wounds.

“They attacked the Manor. They have it,” Draco bit out. He was seething inside, but kept calm so Scorpius wouldn’t be more upset than he already was. He was settling down now, only hiccuping from where he had been sobbing before. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head to see who it was. 

“I can take him if you’d like. You should see if your Mum is alright,” Harry suggested. He held out his arms for Scorpius. Draco nodded, and handed Scorpius to Harry.  
“Hey there, buddy. Let’s go see if we have some of your milk in the kitchen, hmm?” Harry cuddled Scorpius close to his chest, and was humming on his way to the kitchen. Draco couldn’t help but smile as he watched them go. There goes the Savior of our world, ladies and gentleman. Brought to his knees by a baby, he thought. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in exhaustion. He just missed being cursed himself, and brought three Death Eaters down with multiple hexes. His magic was drained, and he was on the verge of collapsing, but kept it together for his parents and his son’s sake. 

“What can I do, Mum?” Draco asked, kneeling beside her. 

Narcissa sniffed and tried to hide the tears in her eyes as she faced her only son. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek and gave him a half smile. “He will be okay. Your father is a fighter, much like yourself. He just needs rest.”

“And pain potions. Severus?” Lucius cut in, wincing as he tried to sit up from the couch. 

“Lay back down!” Narcissa scolded him. “He will be along shortly. Arthur has already sent for him.” 

 

Back in the kitchen, Ron Weasley looked crestfallen. “They have Malfoy Manor. Harry, this is bad,” Ron huffed out, leaning against the table with his arms crossed. 

“Shh, he’s just fallen asleep.” Harry scolded him, and Ron looked apologetic. 

“What are we going to do?” Hermione asked, fearfully.

“We wait until the rest of the Order gets here. I just—what could they want with the Manor? It’s just a house,” Harry whispered, gently rocking Scorpius to and fro. 

“It’s not just a house, Potter,” Draco murmured from the doorway. He walked softly over to the other three, and shook his head as he sat down. “It is the oldest house in the Wizarding community, built back in the fifth century.” 

“And that matters because…?” Ron asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Honestly, do you ever pay attention in class?” Hermione scoffed, as she rose to make tea on the stove. 

“I know what he means. This is worse than I thought,” Harry sighed, keeping his voice low for Scorpius. 

“Someone want to fill me in?” Ron asked, looking to the rest of them. 

“It means that now that HE has it…the house is now being controlled by Dark Magic. My father rid the entire manor of Dark magic when my grandfather died. Abraxus had some nasty shite in there,” Draco explained, with a hint of annoyance. How can someone be so good at wizard's chess, and act so dense? He thought. 

“Well, we just have to get it back,” Harry said with conviction. 

“Easier said than done, Potter,” Draco muttered. He envied Harry’s conviction, if he was being honest with himself. He hadn’t ever felt this defeated in his entire life, and he hated it. He shook his head and took Scorpius from Harry as gently as he could, as to not wake him. “I’m going to put him to bed. His room still available?” 

“Of course.” Hermione said, with a smile. 

“I’ll be back,” Draco made his way upstairs, and rocked Scorpius gently back and forth. He stood over his crib that he bought specifically for use here at Grimmauld place, and laid him down to sleep. 

“You have no idea how much I love you, little boy. I will do anything I have to do to keep you safe. I promise,” Draco kissed his little boy that had his heart and soul since day one, and gazed out the window. He didn’t know how it was going to be done, but he would do everything in his power to help make sure the Wizarding world was safe for his son again. No matter the cost. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco roamed the halls of Grimmauld Place, getting his and Scorpius things packed away to move back into the Manor. Now that the War was over, his parents expected him to settle down and for him and Astoria to be married. Scorpius was over a year old now, with little to no contact with his mother at all. Astoria had quickly bailed, as Draco had explained to his parents numerous times, and went with her parents to France to avoid the fray. Apparently, she decided to stay. Draco didn’t blame her; she wasn’t ready. For the war…to become a mother. He wasn’t ready to become a Father, either, but he did what he had to do. 

“Hey…you okay?” Draco heard Harry come up the stairs behind him. 

“Yes…no. I don’t know,” Draco responded, squeezing his hands together. He and Harry had become fast friends when they lived together, much to everyone’s surprise. 

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Malfoy?” Harry quipped, shoving him lightly on the shoulder. 

Draco smiled a little. He turned to Harry, and sighed. “I don’t want to move back into the Manor. I don’t want to marry Astoria. She never wanted a family, no matter what kind of contract her family and mine set up. I know this,” 

“Then don’t.” Harry murmured, with a shrug.

“What is this, reverse psychology?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Like that would work on you. If you don’t want to, don’t do it. Look, we all fought this war so we could be free. Now we are,” Harry pointed out, smiling. “Look, I have been being told what to do, and how to do it my entire life. We all have. Do something for yourself for once,” 

“You fought for us all, Harry. Hell, you died for us. Oh, and by the way…never do that again, or I’ll kill you,” Draco told him, narrowing his eyes at him. 

“How fucked up are our lives if that makes any sense?” Harry chuckled out. Draco couldn’t help returning the chuckle with a small one of his own. “I’m just saying that we are free now. You do what you think is best for you and your son…do what you want to do,” 

Draco couldn’t help it. To try and hide the pricking tears he felt in his eyes, he hugged Harry hard, pressing him against his chest. He immediately felt Harry’s arms embrace him. “Thank you,” 

“No need to thank me…go live your life,” Harry whispered into his ear, sending a shiver down Draco’s spine. He knew and felt in his heart that Harry Potter would always be there for him, no matter what. That was enough. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lucius? We have to go get Draco and Scorpius. Hurry up!” Narcissa scolded her husband. 

The man being scolded was in fact walking as fast as he could through the foyer of the Manor, leaning on his cane for support. It had been this way since he took more than one hit during the final battle. “This is as fast as I can go at the moment, Cissy.” He bit out through his teeth. He wasn't annoyed with her, but she kept needing reminding it seemed that he was a bit slower than normal.

POP! A house elf appeared at Narcissa’s side. Twinkle, her name was, if Lucius remembered correctly. She was the last house elf in their employment, Narcissa being steadfast in getting human maids and cooks. She handed Narcissa a letter. 

“This just came for yous, Mistress, by owl,” 

“Oh? Thank you, Twinkle,” Narcissa smiled at her, and the elf nodded, disappearing with another Pop. 

Ah, got one, Lucius thought, proud of himself. As he watched Narcissa read over the letter, he saw her mouth drop open, and tears sparkle with tears. “Cissy? What’s wrong?” 

“Draco…he’s…he’s…Oh!” Narcissa dropped the letter and ran back upstairs, crying uncontrollably. Lucius heard a door slam, which was probably their bedroom door.  
“What in the bloody hell?” Lucius asked aloud, bending to pick up the letter. He held it in his fist, as he made his way back to the study, and sat down behind his desk. He lit the fire with his wand, so he would have a little more light to read by, and read the letter. 

Mum and Dad,  
I apologize in advance for what I’m about to tell you. I will not be returning to live at the Manor. Scorpius and I will be living on our own from now on. Astoria has already contacted me with a letter, stating she does not wish to be married. Instead, she will be returning to school abroad, keeping in touch as often as she can. I cannot marry someone I do not love, as I’m sure you understand. I love you both very much and am grateful for everything you’ve done for us. But, I need to make my own way and make a good life for my son. I will owl you both when we are settled.  
Love,  
Draco

 

Lucius sighed and sat the letter down. He rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly feeling like he had aged ten years in a span of ten minutes. After everything they all had been through, Lucius had a yearning to be as close to his family as possible. However, he understood where Draco was coming from. After all, the Malfoy pride showed greatly in his son when he took on the responsibility of being a father at the tender age of sixteen. He knew Draco wouldn’t accept any help, either. He sighed deeply and rose from his chair, beginning to walk across the house to head upstairs. He had to calm Narcissa down, and hopefully explain how Draco was feeling. He knew that Draco and Astoria would never marry, no matter how much he had hoped for it. Draco had always been a free spirit; his own person. He never did anything he didn’t want to do, and this was no exception. He knew Draco would do exactly what he stated in that letter; find a life for himself and his son. He just hoped that Draco would keep in mind to keep him and Narcissa present for it all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, just for fun.

Draco Malfoy hitched his bag over his left shoulder and adjusted his scarf, trying in vain to keep out the wind from hitting his neck. He passed a sign that read, ‘Hogsmeade’, as he did every day and smiled. Children could be heard playing on the playground outside. Different people going about their day smiled and waved to Draco as he passed. He took a deep breath of the clean air and relaxed as he finally reached his destination. Harry’s. ‘Ah, my salvation awaits,’ he thought. He and Potter, no matter what rivalry they had in school, decided to bury the hatchet and start over. When Draco and his family had stayed at Grimmauld Place, they decided that they were better off on the same side, rather than fighting. Draco was glad he could call Harry a friend now that they were both adults. Thank Merlin, because that meant he could enjoy his coffee without any throwing insults. Well, not too many insults, anyway. Draco shuddered to think if they both were just nice to each other all the time. Merlin, that would be boring, he thought.

He walked in the door, making the bells jingle as always, and he sat his bag down on the chair closest to him. He had always just claimed tables there, and he knew Harry wouldn’t mind; just would give him loads of bollocks about what he would be asking for next. He grabbed the mug on the table and turned to face the counter, where Harry was pouring another customer coffee. He grinned and walked toward him. 

Harry spotted him of course, and rolled his eyes as he turned his back to the blonde man. 

“Please, Harry. Please, please, please,” Draco begged, gripping his mug. 

“How many cups have you had today?” Harry asked him, with a raised eyebrow. 

“None,” 

“Plus?” Harry asked.

Draco gritted his teeth. Of course he would know… “Five. But yours is better!” 

“You have a problem,” Harry pointed out, holding the coffee pot. It was like Harry was purposely teasing him, and Draco almost let out a groan.

“Yes I do,” Draco conceded and shoved his mug under Harry’s nose. 

Harry grabbed the mug to set it on the counter. He shook his head fondly. “At least you admit you’re a junkie,” 

Draco grinned at Harry. He would always give in, no matter what. He knew what Draco was like without coffee, and it wasn’t pretty. “Saint, as I’ve always said. Saint.” Harry rolled his eyes good naturedly and shooed him away so he could now answer his ringing phone. Draco took his now full mug back to the table, and removed the beanie he was wearing. He sat down and savored the smell of his coffee, before taking a sip. “Ah,” Draco sighed in what would be relief. He loved Harry’s coffee. 

“Hey there. That looks really good,” a voice startled Draco from his caffeine induced haven, and he was rather annoyed. He looked up to see a rather pretty brunette…leering down at him. He fought hard to keep his trademark Malfoy sneer at bay. 

“Oh, it is really good. It’s the best coffee in Hogsmeade.” Draco informed her. He had had other coffee around, such as at the Three Broomsticks and it was weak and not even worth the couple Sickles it took to buy it.

“Oh yeah? Well, I’ll have to get a cup,” she smiled at him, and Draco nodded. 

“Good plan,” 

“Are you here with anyone?” she asked, and Draco had to reign in his rather obvious groan he almost omitted. 

“Actually, I’m meeting someone…” Draco began, and the woman took a seat across from him. Draco smiled, “Okay,” 

“I’m Marline.” 

“Hi, Marline,” 

“I’ve never been here before. Just passing through,” Marline informed him, in the most flirtatious way Draco had ever seen. He had actually had to put effort in not to laugh. People usually didn’t pass through Hogsmeade unless they were tourists, and Draco himself would have known if she was one of those. 

“You’re a regular Annie Oakley.” Draco deadpanned, with a raised eyebrow. Yeah, because this is what I wanted to do with my Friday…he thought. 

“Yeah,” Marline agreed, with a smile. ‘For God’s sake,’ Draco internally sighed, and tried to smile back. “So, you don’t have a name?” 

“Oh, I do have a name, but I really am meeting someone, so…” Draco said, nodding a little. 

“So, I guess I should get going,” Marline shrugged and began to stand up. 

“So soon?” Draco joked. 

“What?” Marline looked so confused, Draco couldn’t help but giggle just a bit. 

“Nothing, I’m just screwing with your mind, Marline. It was nice to meet you. Enjoy Hogsmeade.” Draco told him honestly. 

“Enjoy your coffee. Mystery man,” Marline winked at him and turned away, and Draco looked down to hide his blush. 

“Hmm. I like that,” Draco conceded. Suddenly, the door jingled again, and a teenaged, blonde haired boy came through the door. He smiled at Draco and sat down across from him. 

“Hey, it’s freezing!” Scorpius informed him. He had just came from Hogwarts for his Hogsmade visit, and he didn’t think to bring a hat. Why is my dad always right? He asked himself. “I would have stayed in the castle if I knew it was this bloody cold,”

“Aw, what do you need? Hot tea? Coffee?” Draco asked, trying to soothe his son a little.

“Chapstick.” 

“Ah,” Draco pulled his bag onto his lap, and began digging through it. “I have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and toasted marshmallow,” 

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at him. ‘”Anything in there not resembling a breakfast cereal?” 

“Yes. I keep a spare in here—“Draco dug through his bag, and fished out the tube of plain chapstick. “A-ha,” He handed it over to his son. 

“You have an obsession with lip balms.” Scorpius informed him, dabbing his finger in the balm and applying it to his lips. 

“Well, you’re crabby.” Draco accused. 

“I’m sorry. I lost that mix CD Eevee made for me, and I need caffeine,” Scorpius said, handing him the tube of lip balm. 

“Oh, I have your CD,” Draco admitted, pulling it out of his bag. He handed it over to his son, with an apologetic look. 

“Thief!” Scorpius accused, jokingly, taking the CD back. "You need to get your music onto your iTunes. I keep telling you..."

“Sorry. I will get you,” Draco began, lifting up the mug closest to his son, “some coffee,” He rose to head back to the counter, and stood there waiting for Harry with a smile.   
Harry raised an eyebrow at him. 

“What? It’s not for me, it’s for Scorpius.” Draco insisted. 

“Sure,” Harry said, sarcastically. Draco had used that line way too many times for him to keep track of. 

“Look, Horatio, he’s right at that table, right over there,” Draco turned to point at his son, and was appalled by what he saw. Marline was back at it again, but this time with his son. Scorpius not only looked uncomfortable, but was growing red in the cheeks from this woman blatantly flirting with him. Draco rolled his eyes, and heard Harry fill up the mug behind him. “She’s got quite a pair, for being a woman. Thanks,” Draco grabbed the mug and headed back to the table he was sharing with Scorpius. 

“Yeah, I’ve never been through here before,” Marline was telling Scorpius, as Draco came up to them. 

“Oh, you have, to,” Draco muttered from behind them. Scorpius smiled up at his Dad. Ever the savior, he thought. 

“Oh, hi.” Marline said, looking at Draco, and then back to Scorpius again. 

“Hi. You really like my table, don’t you?” Draco asked, raising a pale blonde eyebrow. 

“I was just—“

“Getting to know my son,” Draco laid a hand on Scorpius’ shoulder, and smiled. 

“Your--?” Marline at least had the decency to look surprised. Her eyes were round as a shocked expression graced her face.

“Are you my new Mommy?” Scorpius asked, cheekily with a grin. 

“Wow. You do not look old enough to have a son. No, I mean it.” Marline told Draco, with a small smile. “And, you do not look like a son,” 

Draco snorted quietly so only Scorpius could hear it. “That’s possibly very sweet of you,” he drawled. 

“So…son?” Marline asked. 

Draco and Scorpius nodded together, both curious as to where she was going with this. 

“You know, I am traveling with a friend—“Marline pointed to her redheaded friend at the counter, sipping her coffee, and she turned around. 

“He’s sixteen!” Draco informed her, annoyed. 

“Bye,” Marline hurried out the door, her friend following close behind.

“Lovely day,” Draco told them, with a sarcastic wave. He leaned down to where Scorpius was giggling and Draco couldn’t help but join in with his son’s laughter.   
Harry looked to both Father and son, shaking his head fondly at them. How many women, and men on Draco’s part, had he seen be turned away in this very diner by those two, he had lost count. He smiled to himself as he watched Draco take his seat back, and begin talking to his son about their days. He considered himself lucky to have Draco as a friend, and his son was the most pleasant young man Harry had ever met. He was wicked smart, of course, like his Dad, and Harry often had trouble keeping up with the both of them. Harry had met Scorpius when he was a baby, and even lived with Draco and Scorpius when all of the Malfoys had shown up at Grimmauld place. He put on a fresh pot of coffee, as he could tell Draco and Scorpius were going to be there awhile. 

“Hey, Harry! Can we get a round?” Harry heard Scorpius yell out. Harry chuckled. Of course they were talking about chips. 

“Sure thing,” Harry sat the rag down he was cleaning with, and put in the order to his fry cook, David, behind him. 

The Next Day…

“White Owl Inn, Blaise speaking. No, I’m sorry we’re completely booked. We have a wedding party here. No. Yes, I’m sure. No, I don’t have to look, miss, I—yes, of course, I’ll look.” Blaise Zabini put the phone down as he was ‘looking’. He sorted through the Inn’s mail, just like he did every day, but he was growing annoyed with the insipid people calling to book a reservation. This always happened when there was a wedding booked at the Inn, but Draco insisted he answer the phone like a good concierge anyway. He did NOT want to incur the wrath of Draco Malfoy. He had had enough of that in school, thank you very much. Still, he did not appreciate being treated like he was a lap dog, Blaise thought bitterly. He noticed Draco come up to the desk, and begin to write in the reservation book, ticking off names of people that had been checked in for the wedding party. “No, I’m sorry we’re completely booked,” Blaise uttered to the screeching woman on the phone. Goodbye,” He waved his wand to sort the mail into three piles, so he could find them more easily later. 

“Has Rodger attended to room four yet?” Draco asked, looking over his list for the day.

“He came and did nothing. It’s 50 galleons,” Blaise drawled, handing the phone to Draco. Draco in turn rolled his eyes and dialed the plumber’s cell phone number. 

“I swear to God, is everyone in the world completely incompetent? Or do they deliberately do it to piss me off?” Draco whispered to Blaise. 

“I know I do it on purpose,” Blaise said, in his most sarcastic tone.

“That’s why we work.” Draco joked. Blaise smirked back at him. “Hi, Rodger, Draco. Tell me about Room four. What was wrong with it?” Draco saw Scorpius come up to the desk and smiled and him. He reached out and ruffled his son’s hair, much to the latter’s annoyance. “Uh-huh. But, you told me you fixed it and I never forget anything, so this one’s on you, yes?” Draco grinned as he got Rodger to concede to come back to the Inn for free. “Pleasure doing business with you.” Meanwhile, Scorpius was rummaging through the supplies drawer behind the desk, and Blaise was staring at him with raised eyebrows. 

“What is your offspring doing?” Blaise asked. 

“Hey, I thought you needed to head back this morning! Am I going to get an angry owl from the Headmistress…AGAIN?” Draco scolded lightly. 

“No, I do need to go back, but I need paperclips. No one seems to have them, and my parchment keeps getting disorganized and—“

Draco held up a hand. “Take them. Do you need me to walk you back?” 

“Dad, I’m not a first year!” Scorpius whined. “I’ll see you later. I have a Transfiguration essay to finish."

“I was just offering.” Draco knew his son was growing up, but that didn’t keep him from being a tad too protective. Especially since he was only a baby when the war really broke out. Scorpius shoved the box of paperclips into his bag and made his way out of the Inn, waving to his Dad before he left.

“Why do you let him take the Inn’s supplies?” Blaise asked, in an annoyed tone. 

“It’s not like anyone is going to miss them. Besides, how many paperclips can you possibly need?” Draco asked, with a raised eyebrow. 

Blaise didn’t deign to reply right away, just rolled his eyes. Draco smirked at Blaise, while he continued to sort through the papers on the desk. “I despise you,” Blaise muttered. Draco chuckled and sauntered off to continue through his list of things to get done that day. 

Before he could get too far, he heard a crash from the kitchen, and gasped. He ran to the kitchen and bolted through the swinging door, wand drawn. “Pansy! What happened?” He yelled out, frantically looking around.

“I’m okay. I’m okay!” Pansy, the chef at the Inn, and the greatest chef in the world in Draco’s humble opinion, was on the floor. Apparently she fell. Again; much to Draco’s displeasure. He sighed and put his wand back in his sleeve.

“Pansy! For Merlin’s sake! You two were supposed to be watching her!” Draco scolded the sous chefs. At least they have the dignity to look terrified, he thought. He crouched down on the floor to see if Pansy was hurt. He frowned in confusion and worry at what he saw. “You’re bleeding. Why are you bleeding?” 

“Oh, my stitches opened. Hey! I fixed the raspberry sauce!” Pansy told him, proudly.

“When did you get stitches?” Draco asked, exasperated at this point. “Why didn’t they just heal it?”

“Friday night, chicken cutlets. Too much scar tissue, the healing charm wouldn’t take. You have to try this while it’s still warm,” Pansy grabbed the saucepan behind her on the stove, and stirred it a little. 

“Pansy, you are my best friend, and the loveliest woman I know. But, I need there to be fewer accidents, and—“Draco was cut off by the most amazing thing he had ever tasted. “Oh, OH. That’s incredible!” He exclaimed, staring at the sauce Pansy was holding. 

“I want to put it on the pastries I’m making for the wedding!” 

“I want to take a bath in that sauce!” 

“I will make more!” Pansy teased him. 

Draco smiled warmly at her. “Someday, when we open our own inn, wizards, witches and muggles alike will be lining up to eat this sauce.” 

“Sounds perfect,” Pansy said, with a wistful look on her face. 

Draco nodded. “Yeah. But, the key to someday achieving that dream, is keeping you alive long enough to open an inn!” He prodded her in the shoulder lightly to enunciate his point. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I will try to be more careful, I promise.” Pansy smiled back at him. She pulled out her wand that she kept in her sleeve, and levitated the pans that had fell around her back onto the counter and stove. 

“Okay. Let’s get you up and to the Healer on three,” Draco grabbed her hand to help her up, and stood up himself before he heard a loud yelp. “What?”   
“Stepped on my thumb! I’m fine,” Pansy muttered, as she stood up carefully.   
“I’ll go call the Healer. Make sure she stays put,” Draco told Pansy’s sous chefs. They nodded and turned their attentions back to Pansy to make sure she didn’t get hurt. Lest Draco fire them both, they both thought. He headed back out of the kitchen to call the doctor in town to see to Pansy, and rolled his eyes fondly. How many times had he called her this week? He had lost count…He crouched down and threw some Floo powder into the fireplace. “St. Mungo’s”

“Hello? Healer Granger, please.” He told the receptionist there. 

“One moment, please.” He heard the droned reply. 

“Draco?” He heard Hermione on the other end after a few minutes, and heard the already exasperated sigh in her voice. “What did she do now?” 

“I don’t know, to be honest…can you fix her up?” Draco asked. 

“Of course. But, let her know she will catch hell from me,” Hermione teased him. “Send her on over,” 

“I would expect nothing less, Hermione. Thank you,” Draco chuckled, and hung up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos give me life...and inspire me to keep going :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter in Scorpius' life is about to begin. Excitement runs high. But...is everyone as excited as they seem to be?

One week later…

“Pansy!” Draco rushed into the kitchen at the Inn, and called for his friend. Which turned out to be a huge mistake, because she ended up whacking one of her assistants in the head with a skillet. “Ooh! It’s here. It’s happened. He did it!” 

“Okay, I am going to need more,” Pansy was at a loss, due to her friend not making much sense. 

“The Advanced NEWT program! Scorpius got in!” Draco was practically preening from how proud he was of his son. 

“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Pansy was practically bouncing up and down as she went to Draco’s side. 

“Yeah! Here, look. ‘Dear Mr. Malfoy, We have an opening in our advanced NEWT program, available immediately. Due to your son’s excellent credentials and your enthusiastic pursuit of his enrollment’ – I offered to do the Headmistress to get him in,” Pansy rolled her eyes at her friend here, “’We would be happy to accept him, as soon as the first semester’s tuition has been received.’” 

“You cannot be serious about that, right? McGonagall?” Pansy asked, scandalized. 

“Dear Merlin, Pans. That was a joke!” Draco said, exasperated. 

“Ok, good. Oh, this is very exciting! Have you told him yet?” Pansy asked, wiping her hands on her apron. She hugged Draco tightly, and Draco could smell something funny on her. 

"Is something burning?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. 

"My bangs, earlier. Go on, go on," Pansy urged him. 

“No, not yet; I went and bought a few things I know he’s going to need for his school uniform.” Draco sighed happily. “This is it. He can finally get the education that I never got and get to be the Healer he’s always wanted to be. He will finally get to do all the things I never got to do, and then I can resent him for it, and we can FINALLY have a normal Father and son relationship,” Draco laughed, and Pansy hugged him, with happy tears in her eyes. 

“Dad? I got your owl. Headmistress McGonagall told me to tell you that you can’t keep me out for very long, since it’s not a Hogsmeade visit and--” Draco heard Scorpius behind them and tried to school his features. Scorpius narrowed his eyes at his Dad’s façade. “You look happy,” 

Draco grinned at him. “Yeah,” 

“Did you do something slutty?” Scorpius asked. 

“I’m not that happy,” Draco joked, and Pansy giggled along with him. 

“What’s going on?” Scorpius asked, now really curious. 

“Here,” Draco handed him the bag he held in his hand, and Scorpius went to pull out the contents. 

He was surprised by what he found. He pulled out a set of brand new robes, black with the Slytherin crest on them. He already had plenty of robes, why did his Dad get--

“You’re in the NEWT program!” Pansy squeaked out, unable to contain her happiness for the two Malfoys anymore. Draco looked annoyed and smacked her shoulder. “Sorry,” 

“Dad?” Scorpius asked, hopeful.

“You did it, Scorp. You got in!” Draco waved the letter in front of him, smiling. 

“How did this happen?” Scorpius asked, but his face fell a bit as he remembered what his Dad had said. “You didn’t---with McGonagall, did you?” Scorpius paled at the thought. 

“No, Scorp…that was a joke. She was my teacher, for Merlin’s sake. You have a spot, you’re going to start on Monday!” 

“Really?”

“Really!” Draco exclaimed. 

“I can’t believe this! Oh my God, I’m in!” Scorpius cried in happiness. “Pansy, I’m in!”

“I’ll make cookies! Professors love oatmeal!” She answered, grinning and hugging Scorpius tightly.

“I have to tell Eevee!” Scorpius couldn’t wait to tell his best friend the news. He began to leave the kitchen, but turned to hug his Dad. “I love you,” 

Draco embraced his son tightly. “I love you,” 

Scorpius smiled and waved to his Dad and Pansy, and he saw happy tears beginning to form in his Dad’s eyes. He loved when his Dad wore the proud look, as he called it. But, that was pretty much all the time when he looked at his son.

“I’m so proud of him!” Draco proclaimed, and grinning to himself. He was so happy that his son would get the chance to be a part of this program at Hogwarts that only a few students had the chance to be in. He would then go on to an Internship at St. Mungo’s. It was everything he had ever dreamed for his son, and now he would be on the right path to make those dreams a reality. 

 

-0-

 

Scorpius made his way back to Hogwarts just in time for dinner, and was given a harsh look by the Headmistress. He smiled innocently, (Well, as innocently as a Malfoy could), and went inside to the Great Hall, hearing her sigh at him. The House tables were already filled to the brink with delicious smelling food, and students began tucking in. He cursed silently, and sat down next to his housemates. 

“Where have you been?” Amanda scolded. Amanda Bosely had become his first friend, in his own House, when he got to Hogwarts. She was a year ahead of him, and was a very bright young lady, with blonde hair and kind blue eyes. She always told Scorpius she was envious of how blonde his hair was, and Scorpius thought she was just messing with him. But, as she came back in his second year with bleached hair, he knew she was serious. They had been friends ever since, after he helped her fix it. However, she was a bit of a mother hen toward Scorpius when the time called for it. 

“I was with my Dad, chill out,” Scorpius teased her. He piled some mashed potatoes on his plate, along with the roast chicken and peas. 

“You were supposed to meet up with us!” Victor whined. Victor Armande was a transfer from Durmstrang, who also made quick friends with Scorpius during their second year. He was a lightly tanned young man, with sandy blonde hair, and hazel eyes, which always looked teasing. He had this annoying habit of whining when he didn’t get his way, but Scorpius loved him anyway. Scorpius rolled his eyes. 

“I…actually have some news. I have to tell Eevee, first,” Scorpius began, but at their almost outburst, he amended his statement. “I promise I’ll tell you!” 

“You had better,” Amanda said, with a raised eyebrow. Scorpius chuckled a little and began tucking into his food. He was scanning the Gryffindor table for Eevee, but didn’t see her. He frowned a bit, but finally…FINALLY caught his friend’s eye. He grinned and motioned for her to meet him outside the Great Hall. He had used the signal so many times, he knew she would get it. Eevee Bennett and Scorpius had been friends since he and his Dad first moved to Hogsmeade, so they were often teased that they could read each other’s thoughts. 

After about twenty more minutes, Scorpius told Amanda he would meet her and Victor back in the common room, and they would discuss what news he had then. Amanda rolled her eyes and said, as she always did, “Have fun with your girlfriend!” 

Scorpius shook his head. He loved his friends, but sometimes they knew him too well. He wasn’t going to think more on that, especially since Eevee—

“Hey! I saw the look...what's up?” Scorpius heard Eevee from behind him. He grinned and turned to her. She was brushing her dark brown hair from her eyes, and was looking at him with a questioning look. He didn’t say anything and just showed her the letter he had pulled from his jacket pocket. She quickly scanned over it and looked up at him with a huge smile on her face.

“Oh my God!”

“Yeah,”

“That is so great!” Eevee exclaimed, and hugged Scorpius tightly. “You worked so hard for this. You deserve it,” 

“I guess so.” Scorpius shrugged. 

“Oh, whatever. You know you want to be with all the smarties in the advanced classes and be far away from us peasants.” Eevee teased, shoving him lightly. 

“Oy! Shut it!” Scorpius laughed. 

“Shame we won’t be in the same classes anymore, though. Means we can’t annoy the New Potions Master anymore.” Eevee joked, although she looked sad. 

“Hey, you act like we won’t see each other! Nothing is going to change,” Scorpius assured her.

“Yeah, I guess. Hey, I have to get back. I do have that Potions homework to finish. See ya,” Eevee hugged Scorpius again, and he waved as she made her way back to the Gryffindor tower. He sighed and headed back to his own common room. I didn’t even think that I wouldn’t see Eevee as much anymore! Scorpius thought, bitterly. Well…maybe I just don’t have to do this. I don’t have to go in the advanced NEWT program. Not a big deal right? Yeah…let’s see how my Dad is going to take that, he thought with a shudder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so much fun to write. I honestly can say that this is one of my fics that I am enjoying writing right now. I hope you are enjoying it as well. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the lack of updates...life gets in the way sometimes. And...I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue this. But, here is another chapter until I decide XD

_A few days later…_

 

 

“Blaise, the phone,” Draco drawled as he looked for his letter opener. There was an important letter from Hogwarts that he needed to open, and was getting more and more anxious by the second.

“Uh-hmm. It rings. Oh, there goes the Floo too,” Blaise quipped, still writing in the reservation book.

“Can you answer it?”

“Nope. People are just a notch above brain dead today. I cannot talk to any more of them,”

Draco walked over to stand right next to Blaise, in what he hoped was a menacing manner. The way Blaise started a bit was an indication that it had worked. “Do you know who is really nice to talk to? The unemployment department at the Ministry,”

Blaise answered the ringing phone, while Draco attended to the Floo. “White Owl Inn, Blaise speaking? No, I’m sorry, we’re completely booked—“

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you for staying with us. I will send your bag as soon as I can. Thanks,” Draco shut down the Floo when the call ended, and sent one of the bell boys to look for the woman’s makeup bag that she had apparently left in Room 12. He sighed and went back to the desk to open the mail. _Bill, maintenance, catalogs for Pansy,_ Draco ticked off in his head. _Ah, here we go_ …he finally got to the letter from Hogwarts, addressed in the emerald green ink like always and shining Draco’s name and address. He opened in a rush, just in case there was something wrong with Scorpius.

What he read, he couldn’t wrap his mind around. He knew he was going to need help, and Merlin knew where he was going to get it. _Damn it all to hell_ , Draco thought bitterly. He crammed the letter back into its envelope, and told Blaise he was heading out for the day. Blaise rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway. He waved his goodbyes, and grabbed his bag and cloak to make his way home. He sighed as a way to calm himself as he prepared to Apparate, knowing that doing so while stressed was never a good idea. That was a way to get oneself splinched.

“Hello, Headmistress McGonagall. Thank you for taking my call,” Draco addressed his former professor when her head appeared in the fire. He decided to Floo Hogwarts as soon as he got home, to try to get this business straightened out.

“Mr. Malfoy. Pleasure to hear from you. What can I do for you?” McGonagall asked.

“Well, as you know, Scorpius has just been accepted into the advanced NEWT program.” Draco began.

“Congratulations. He is a very intelligent and ambitious young man, much like you were when you were that age. You must be very proud!”

“Thank you, and I am. I just wanted to know why there are so many zeros behind this five here on the invoice,” Draco asked, nervously.

“They are advanced, which means there are more materials, books, and hours that the teachers put into this curriculum, hence why there is a higher price attached to it,” McGonagall explained calmly.

“I didn’t realize the price tag was so hefty, Professor,” Draco said, slipping back into old habits.

“ _Hefty_ as it is, if you would like to give up Scorpius’ space—“

“No! I don’t want to give up the space!” Draco exclaimed. He ran a hair through his blonde hair and shook his head. “I guess I’ll have to figure something out. It’s only Wednesday, right?”

“You have until Friday, Mr. Malfoy,” McGonagall said in her strictest voice, and closed the Floo call. How did that woman always make him feel like he was an eleven year old boy? He thought bitterly.

Draco snorted. “A real _treat_ talking to you, too.” He stood up from where he knelt by the fire and sighed again. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he knew that Scorpius was not going to fall through the cracks because of his lack of money. He picked up his cell phone to call for reinforcements.

Before he was even able to dial her number, Pansy appeared in his kitchen. “What happened? You can’t just take off like that without telling us!”

“Hogwarts wants an obscene amount of money for Scorpius’ advanced classes,” Draco explained, pouring them both a glass of wine.

Pansy grimaced. “How obscene?” she asked, accepting the glass he handed her.

“Right between ‘ _ouch_ ’ and ‘ _boing_ ’,” Draco wiggled his hand for added effect, and Pansy’s eyes widened.

“ _Wow_.” Pansy breathed out, shaking her head.

“What do I do? What do I do? What. Do. I. DO?” Draco walked outside to sit on his front porch, as Pansy followed.

“You can have anything I own! Sell my clothes! My flat!” Pansy offered, and Draco smiled at her.

“Yes, because I want you naked and homeless,” Draco joked, and he held his head in his one hand. He was beginning to get a headache, as he racked his brain for any idea that would lead him to come up with the payment that Hogwarts wanted, which was about 500 Galleons. For the first term.

“You know…you might think about calling your p—“

Draco’s eyes widened in realization, as he knew what she was going to say, and he stopped her right there with a word, “No.”

“But, if you—“Pansy tried again.

“Stop,” Draco admonished her, with an eyebrow raised.

“But, I think it’s your only option,” Pansy offered, in a would-be soothing voice.

“Pans, there are many chapters of a Gilderoy Lockhart book that I would recreate before I resorted to _that_ option. And he is a certifiable nut job,”

“Are you just now noticing he’s certifiable?” Pansy joked.

“Point taken,” Draco smirked as he took a sip of his wine.

“Fine. It’s dropped.” Pansy admitted with a sigh. Draco nodded once, and they made their way back inside. Draco flopped down on his couch, sipping on his wine still, while Pansy complained from his kitchen that he needed to organize it.

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that, Pans,” He called back to her.

“Okay, I’m going to the market since you have nothing. You feel like duck?” Pansy asked him, putting her bag over her shoulder.

“Oh, if it’s made with chicken, absolutely.” Draco said, giving her a look like she knew better than to ask.

“Okay. I’ll be back!” Pansy yelled, as she went outside. He heard the crack of her apparition, and he stood up to look at the pictures on his mantle. There were tons of them; each featuring Draco and Scorpius in various poses, and in various places. One of these places was in front of Malfoy Manor, and Scorpius was about five years old. Draco picked up the picture, and it showed Scorpius trying to giggle and run away while Draco was taking the picture. It was before Christmas one year, and Draco smiled at the memory. His parents had always had a lavish Christmas, filled with tons of great food, music, and it was one holiday that they didn’t ever argue on. Draco clenched his eyes shut as he made his decision. He would have to send his Mother and Father an owl. Merlin help him.

 

-0-

 

Draco had gone through so much in his life. He had started Hogwarts, ultimately having to finish his schooling through owl post due to having Scorpius, faced a crazed megalomaniac during his teen years, helping Harry and his friends find those damn Horocruxes, surviving said war…being scared was nothing new. However, this was different. This feeling…this…punch to the stomach, he felt in his very soul. He wore the Malfoy pride on his shoulders, as Pansy called it, and having to ask his parents for money was taking a swift kick in the arse. He sat outside of the Manor gates, waiting to go inside. He sat far enough away so the wards wouldn’t be alerted, sipping his coffee he picked up from Harry’s before he came. He finally drank the last drop of it, and took a deep breath before he went through the gates. He walked up to the large French door with its snakehead doorknocker, and knocked three times.

“Master Draco! Come in! Mistress is waiting in the conservatory.” Twinkle informed him, with a huge grin. He smiled back at her, and nodded.

“Thank you, Twinkle. You look well,” Draco walked inside, and began removing his coat.

“Yes, I is, thank you Master Draco!” Twinkle took his coat from him and popped away. He went into the conservatory where he saw his Mother sitting on a large sofa, sipping what he supposed was tea.

“Hello, Mother,” Draco greeted her, trying to keep his nervousness from his voice.

“Draco. What is it…Easter already?” Narcissa quipped, standing to greet him.

Here we go…Draco thought. “You received my owl, yes?”

“Of course. Vague, I must say. You were taught better than that, son.” Narcissa lightly scolded him.

“I apologize, Mum. I just thought that what I had to say would be better said in person than in a letter,” Draco explained, sitting down.

“Would you like some tea?” Narcissa offered.

“I would love some coffee,” Draco breathed, trying to calm himself.

“Hello?” Draco heard his father’s voice come through the house, and the telling tap-tap of his cane. Dear Merlin, help me now, Draco thought, clenching his fists at his sides.

“We’re in here,” Narcissa called to her husband.

“Oh, Draco…what is it? Christmas, already?” Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow at his son. He rested his cane beside the couch Narcissa occupied.

“I had some time off from the Inn, and I thought I would stop by,” Draco began. He took another calming breath. “I actually have a sort of time sensitive issue I need to discuss with you both. Dad, would you mind sitting down for a minute?”

Lucius smirked as he went over to the drink cart that they kept over in the corner. He put some ice in a tumbler, and poured some scotch into it. “You need money,” He muttered, without turning around.

“I have a situation—“

“You need money,” Lucius said again.

“Dad, please…let me get this out. Scorpius has been accepted into the Advanced NEWT program at Hogwarts,” Draco rushed out in one breath.

Narcissa’s face lit up with happiness. “Oh, that’s wonderful!”

“That’s fantastic, Draco!” Lucius agreed, sitting down next to his wife.

“Yes, it is! See, the problem is…is that they want quite a sum for the advanced classes, and I have to pay up front or he loses the spot,” Draco continued.

“ _So_ …you need money,” Lucius said again, with his trademark smirk. Draco used the very same smirk quite a bit himself, so he didn’t know how to respond at first.

He sighed. “ _Yes_ ,”

“I’ll send the money along to the school immediately,” Lucius told Draco with a smile.

“Thank you both. Just…thank you so much!” Draco exclaimed in happiness.

“On one condition,” Narcissa mused, stroking her chin.

Draco’s face fell. “So close,” he muttered to himself.

“Now that we are financially involved in your life…I want to be _actively_ involved in your life,” Narcissa explained, looking to Lucius for his agreement. Lucius, in turn, looked to be thinking this over.

“What does that mean, Mother?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I want a weekly dinner,”

“What?” Draco asked, taken aback.

“A weekly dinner. On Friday nights, you and Scorpius will have dinner here. We can write a letter to the headmistress asking permission for a one night away excuse. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

“But, I—“

“If you agree, we will send the money along for Hogwarts. If not…I’m sorry we just can’t help you,” Narcissa raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at her son. Draco set his lips into a thin line.

“I don’t want Scorpius to know I borrowed money from you.” Draco told his parents. Lucius and Narcissa looked at each other. “Can that stay between us?” Draco asked, hopeful.

“Does seven o’ clock work for you?” Narcissa asked him, with a smile.

Draco returned the smile, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “Perfect.”

Lucius smiled and nodded once to Narcissa. He picked up that days edition of the Prophet and began to peruse it, at his leisure. Draco didn’t know what else to say, so he just tried to sort out all the feelings he was experiencing at that particular moment. He wasn’t exactly dreading the weekly dinners with his parents, but he did know that there were a lot of things he did in his own life that they both did not approve of; his dating habits and his love of Muggle music and movies were just the tip of the iceberg. Draco just knew they would point them out sooner or later, and that he was dreading. However, he would endure anything for the sake of his son’s future. Nothing was more important than that.


End file.
